If we're being honest, we it know from the minute the jaunty "It Had to Be You" tune starts playing over the opening credits: Harry and Sally will end up in love. The rest of the When Harry Met Sally is just watching them figure out how to get there. And through that meandering, hilarious journey, we're treated to some varying pictures of what romantic love really is: the old folks, Jess and Marie, Alice and her husband. They're all examples of relationships that work. The question is why.
Questions about Love
- Were Sally and Joe really in love? Why or why not? What about Harry and Helen?
- By the end of the movie, we know why Harry loves Sally—but do we know why she loves him? If she were going to deliver her own romantic speech, what would she love about Harry?
- What do the old couples sprinkled throughout the movie tell us about the nature of love? Or do they tell us anything at all?
Chew on This
Take a peek at these thesis statements. Agree or disagree?
Sally loves Harry for his humor. Throughout the movie, they always seem closest when he's making her laugh.
The old couples tell us that love isn't any one thing, and it doesn't have to look any one way. Each love story is different.